The transportation of goods via railcar, flatbed truck or flat barge frequently involves the use of cables, chains or straps placed in tension over the load. As set forth in my previous patent application, referenced above, there are a number of considerations, well known to those of ordinary skill, that impact upon the effective design of winches, straps and the other hardware inherent in such load restraint systems. However, despite the advances in winches set forth in my previous patent application, the design disclosed therein as well as most other known designs suffer from an inability to be quickly and efficiently released upon arrival of the load at its destination.
For example, when logs are shipped via railcar, the load is typically restrained by three or six winch-driven straps which encircle the log stacks. Upon arrival, woodyard personnel must remove these load binders from each car prior to unloading. This type of operation is extremely slow and cumbersome when handled by one person. This is because the railcars typically arrive at the unloading point randomly oriented, with the winches randomly located on either side of the railcars. For this reason, two people are typically assigned this task, one standing on each side of the rails by which the railcars to be unloaded arrive. The two unloading personnel must work together to release the tension created by the winch mechanisms, release the strap or cable end, pull the restraint over the load and store the released restraint. If only one person is assigned these sequential tasks, two, three or more complete circuits must be performed around a line of railcars. If some of the strap ends are accidentally left engaged, the restraint mechanism will be destroyed by the force created when the unloading crane lifts the load. Even if all the straps are properly disengaged and removed from the load bundle, some may be improperly stored since the unloading operations frequently take place at night or in the dimly lit corridors between lines of railcars. Binders that are improperly stored are likely to trail behind the railcar, being either damaged or severed entirely. In some instances, the binder may damage other equipment or even cause derailment.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a load binder for use in conjunction with a winch mechanism that could be operated and released conveniently by one person who is preferably located in the vicinity of the winch.